An explanation or clarification of the term and concept "Ancestors", as I use it.

So, as i said, this is my version or understanding, combining different world views. This is not THE Xhosa view, though it and my time living with traditional healers influenced my beliefs deeply.

The first mistake we make is to assume separateness on almost every level.  We assume it between us and the Ancestors, between us and spirit, between us and the universe, between us and other people, between us and All-That-Is [1].  Essentially life, which is made up all-that-is and all-that-is-not, is unified as one entity, one concept, one thing, or one no-thing.  But the physical side, the universe of matter and dark matter, etc, is essentially a connected field, and all things are connected.  We experience life through an egoic mind-based sense of separation, and indeed we alone experience our particular life alone.  However, other parts of our consciousness are accessible, or at least we are able to expand our field of awareness beyond what we traditionally define as ours, such as our body, mind, thoughts, feelings, emotions, choices, actions, karma, aura, whatever.  Ancestors are the spirit of all that has come before us, but we say that only because we experience time in a linear fashion.  If all of time is actually happening at the same moment, then indeed the Ancestors are the spirit of all that ever has been, is, or will be.  They thus have a firmer grasp on what is appropriate moment to moment in our lives, and because they defy physical limitations or even definitions, they are able to communicate across that field of inter-connectedness of which we spoke within the physical universe.  Because we humans are a bit limited at least consciously in terms of our abilities and true nature, it is easier for us to swallow if we can just attribute choices, states, insights to the Ancestors, who pass it on to us.  This is kind of like saying you get your mail from the postman or let's say your post box, but actually he (it) is just the last one in a link of actions and events and things to give it to you.  The ancestors are the entire chain, every link including yourself.  Yes, we are Ancestors too.

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[1] A Definition for God I read somewhere long ago and really liked, the unified, almighty Field of All.  Oooh, that sounds way to Scientology-ish.